This is a chart of the “Top 40 Most Efficient Solar Panels” available on the market today (11/01/09). All 40 most-efficient solar panels are from 2 companies: SunPower and Sanyo Electric. If you have limited space on your roof and budget is not a concern – these are the best solar panels on the market giving you the highest efficiency (greatest output) per area.

All of these solar modules are Monocrystalline clearly proving that this type of solar panel is the most efficient – more efficient than Polycrystalline and Thin Film. The panels listed at 290 kW and above all take up more than 17.5 square feet per panel. The solar panels rated at 230 kW and below take up less than 13.5 square feet.

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So, for the most efficient solar panels – choose one of these Top 40. Remember: the best efficiency doesn’t necessarily mean the best panels. Check out the Solar Panel Comparison Article for an explanation. Cost is a major factor and most of the time a building owner wants to choose the solar panels that give the best value.

The SunPower 230’s are still listed on SunPower’s homepage under the Products tab. The spec sheet can be seen here. And the SunPower 290 panels are still listed on SunPower’s warranty and installation documentation, so I will leave these modules in the list above.

However, to be fair, I will list the next 4 panels on the list that would fill out the top 40 if I were to remove the modules you mention. They are:

Thank you for your generous offering to “Newbies” like me who are just beginning to plan for a solar installation.

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